


The Path We Call Death and Rebirth

by k_yuuki



Series: Fruits of Human Bonds [2]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Attempt at Humor, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Parallel Universes, TYL, Troll!Skull, mentions of deaths
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2018-11-01
Packaged: 2019-08-14 00:40:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16482794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/k_yuuki/pseuds/k_yuuki
Summary: In ‘The Future that Didn’t Happen’, the Arcobaleno were hunted down, one by one.The first one was usually their Cloud. The weakest Arcobaleno, the most ignorant one. Who had little to no idea how to fight, a civilian at heart toughen by the Arcobaleno and the forty years experience of being a part of theI Prescelti Setteand hunted down by the Mafia World.Not in this one, though.





	The Path We Call Death and Rebirth

**Author's Note:**

> Title is yet again taken from a buddhist term. Not sure it it matched more than Part 1 though.

In ‘The Future that Didn’t Happen’, the Arcobaleno were hunted down, one by one.

The first one was usually their Cloud. The weakest Arcobaleno, the most ignorant one. One who had little to no idea how to fight, a civilian at heart toughen by the Arcobaleno and the forty years experience of being a part of the _I Prescelti Sette_ and hunted down by the Mafia World.

His fight was usually the most gruesome too, ever since the first time Byakuran found out having Dying Will Flames meant one must have a strong will to live and being The Strongest Seven just meant they had the strongest will to survive out of anyone else in the world.

One of these so-called 'Arcobaleno Hunt' happened during the unfinished non _T_ _ri-ni-set_ radiation machine. This world Byakuran utilized his time and tried to kill him as soon as the opportunity presented itself. If he failed, many resources would go down the drain just to locate him, as the Cloud had no physical territory to call his own and liked to wander around. Maybe because he had a lot of experience of being hunted or maybe he just liked to travel, Byakuran had no idea, but what kind of person just went climbing up the Himalayas only to sail across the Bermuda Triangle after? Was he suicidal or just annoyingly unpredictable?

To make it clear, Byakuran had hundreds and hundreds of memories of the parallel worlds and the Cloud was still the hardest to track. Compared to him, the Sun was almost the easiest as he had the same safe houses, same allies, same backup plans to fall back on.

He gunned his prey down, his target was not prepared for what to come. Easy.

True to his premonition, the Cloud was dead. Byakuran made sure of it. The assassin he sent was a sadistic bastard, more so than Byakuran himself. The man even gave him a greyed pacifier as prove.

However, he found a newspaper saying they found a baby called 'Skull de Mort' had skipped the town to Australia, hiking with some koalas. One even made a 'peace sign' resting on top of the stuntman head.

“Interesting,” he hummed. It seemed that _The Immortal Stuntman_ was not just a catchy name the Cloud used to attract people during his performing time.

Of course he killed him again, blowing up the plane he was on.

"Rest in peace," Byakuran sing-songed as he tore up the newspaper to pieces.

Then, he went to finish the non _Tri-ni-set_ radiation machine, believing that he completed his objective this time. The plane was down in the middle of the Pacific ocean. What the Could would do anyway?  _Swam to the nearest island thousands of miles away?_

* * *

He was hunting for the Varia’s Mammon, as she was the second hardest Arcobaleno to locate, when his eyes betrayed him. The two (not) toddlers were eating ice cream in Venice.

His eyebrows twitched in irritation.

He powered the radiation machine up. This time, he killed them both. Burn the body until not even ashes were left.

He laughed over the crime scenes. This, this would prove that he was better than the so-called the _I Prescelti Sette._

But he was wrong.

The illusionist must have used their Flame, there could not be other explanations. Why? Because Byakuran found Mammon again with the other Varia members bickering around accidentally when he was browsing for marshmallow.

Gripping this lovely package of marshmallow tightly, annoyance and rage built up inside him as he watched Mammon squabbling with the Varia’s Storm with no any significant scar on the baby’s body. If the Mist survived, then the Cloud must also still alive and kicking.

That day, he destroyed his planning table before starting over again.

* * *

He finally tracked down the Cloud months later, after the fall of the Lightning Arcobaleno. The so-called ‘immortal’ stuntman was taking his time up in the north of Iceland, doing who knew what. By the pictures that his spy had taken, it seemed that the madman was swimming in the cold sea and playing with the seals there while enjoying the culinary there.

Byakuran's rage that had been quelled rushed again. Of course, he hid it with a sly smile on his face, a Don should not be easily read after all, especially not with spies everywhere on his beloved _Millefiore._  The _Vongola_ heir had been very subtle this time, none of his double agents had shown their hands and if they did, they did so so carefully that Byakuran had seen none of it. If he did not have the memories of his alternate selves, he would not even know they sided with the _Vongola._

Another hit went by successfully. This time, Byakuran held his doubt. Three times he ordered a hit, labeled as successes, just to find out that the small purple toddler in another country.

A photograph of the said purple baby was splayed proudly in front of NatGwo magazine with a big, bold headline [THE YOUNGEST DIVER OF THE GREAT BLUE HOLE!!] mocking him and his _Famiglia._ He was grinning, Byakuran was sure, even though it was hidden by that ridiculous helmet of his.

Not giving up, Byakuran hunted the little Cloud again. Why was the weakest of the Arcobaleno had to be so hard to kill? In his shared memories, the Cloud was hard, sure, but not this hard.

The next assassin he sent never even found him. It was like the whole world was his playground, playing some sick hide and seek with the mighty _Millefiore Famiglia._

Just as he switched his target to the Storm Arcobaleno, he got a postcard from some obscure country called “Nauru”. The damn postcard was even hand drawn and painted specifically for him. _‘Catch me if you can.’_ was written.

He ignored the card, sending it to the investigation team to find out, and focused his strike team to hunt the famous Fastest Arcobaleno.

Not too long after he was sent another note: _‘Do you want a hint?’_

And another one: _‘I can give you some~’_ with a crude drawing of a map with a big red X behind the postcard, right at a country named Vanuatu.

That was it. It had to be the Cloud! There was no one else dared to challenge him like that. The _Millefiore Famiglia_ was rising and compared with the _Vongola,_ nobody wanted to be on his bad side. Even some of their allies changed their loyalties! He would not be mocked anymore.

In the end, Byakuran did triumphantly corner the Cloud when he visited Costa Rica. They had found the airport surveillance on Vanuatu and checked that Skull’s next flight would be to Central America. The baby had the nerve to grin as the Mafioso stormed the cafe he was chilling at.

“Oh! Ya' found the Great Lord Skull!” he bellowed, voice slurred like he had been sleep-deprived or drunk. Of course, no person with a sound mind would serve alcohol to a baby. So if the Arcobaleno was in a state of lack of sleep, this might be his chance.

“Well~” Byakuran drawled, waving his marshmallow. “You did give us clues.”

“Oh! Ya' got that, good, good,” the Arcobaleno nodded, a glass of cold coffee on his small hands. “Maybe ya' want some hints, ya' know, cause Lord Skull sure has a huuge lead in front of ya' and all. The Great Skull knows the world better than ya' did!”

The albino frowned. Now the baby was more spirited, his voice was high and playful, like he was happy to be hunted down and found.

“So... Why do ya' want the Great Skull dead?” stirring his drink, Skull lifted the glass of his helmet and slowly take a sip. His purple eyes suddenly felt more sharpened.

“Straight to the point, I see. And here I thought you might want to extend your lifespan.”

The baby laughed, loud and obnoxious. “Nahh, there's a reason Skull is called the Immortal Skull, ya' know?” he shrugged, waving his small hand lazily, a smirk gracing his heavily make-up face. Then, while hiding his lips beneath his glass, he whispered with a low voice Byakuran almost did not catch. “I don’t fear death anyways.”

Byakuran blinked. He cross-referenced with his knowledge about the youngest Arcobaleno. Sure, there were times where he seemed suicidal, but it was more of an adrenaline junkie rather than actively tried to kill himself suicidal. Was he stalling?

All the other Arcobalenos acted the same when hunted. They had the same safe houses, acquaintances, identities to fall back on. But the Cloud?

Not even his achievements stayed the same. Sometimes, he became the Arcobaleno, there were times he was accepted by the little group but most of the times he was shunned because he was a civilian. But there were also times where he was not a member of the _I Prescelti Sette_ _,_ there was one where he died long before he was famous, or where he did not even exist at all. The Cloud was a walking contradictory.

Skull tilted his head, looking at his wrist. “Oh, Lord Skull's plane is going to take off soon. Ta-ta!”

Byakuran was too late to take notice that the cafe was silent, empty. There was no other patron except Skull, Byakuran and his _Millefiore_ henchmen. The stuntman pulled some sort of cord and a loud boom deafened him, the lights flickered before darken forever, the ground beneath his feet shook and caved down. Fortunately, Byakuran quick thinking called for his boxed pet dragon, levitating him just before the building fell.

As the dust began to settle, the Cloud was nowhere to be seen. He caught a postcard that flew in front of him, beside it was a few dried flowers bunched together. As usual, the Arcobaleno was taunting him.

_Better luck next time~_

He chewed on his last marshmallow, "We'll see, dear Cloud. Can you run faster than this Grim Reaper?"

**Author's Note:**

> I am writing this with a thought “What if Skull’s territory is the whole world” and it sort of gets out of control from there. Then again I have difficulties on characterizing Byakuran, so just imagine this Parallel Byakuran is not as much of a troll as his other self.  
> [Here](https://kay-yuuki.tumblr.com/post/179753647055/fic-notes-i-want-to-get-it-out) on some more notes of all KHR-Skull fics I wrote!
> 
> Edit: Some grammar mistakes and Skull's conversation with Byakuran.


End file.
